Old Mutual Namibia commits N$5m to fight COVID-19

By Confidente Reporter

FOLLOWING an appeal to the private sector by President Hage Geingob, Old Mutual Namibia has pledged to donate N$5 million towards nation-wide efforts to help address some of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press statement by Old Mutual.

Specific areas of support include the provision of food to the poor and vulnerable communities; technical equipment and allowances for the payment of recruited medical professionals.

“Old Mutual Namibia recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic requires a concerted and committed response by all stakeholders, including the private sector.

Our commitment includes funds to provide food supplies to the poor and the vulnerable: N million.

We pledge N$1 million towards the supply and delivery of food to the poor, old age homes, orphanages, as well as vulnerable communities.”

Old Mutual Namibia said they recognize that a large portion of the poor and vulnerable receive their limited income from daily/hourly labour, which they will not be able to earn during the lockdown. Therefore, to mitigate the situation the insurance company will provide non-perishable foods to the poor and vulnerable.

N$2.7 million will be used to expand COVID-19 testing capacity, while N.

7 million is set aside to acquire testing equipment, broaden the scale of testing and the procurement of test kits. The other N$1 million will go towards strengthening tracing capacity, including equipment, tools and services required for effective tracing.

“Experience gained and lessons learned from countries that have been fighting the impact of COVID-19 reveal that large scale testing followed by effective tracing and isolation and treatment significantly contribute to early ‘flattening of the exponential infection curve, which will alleviate the pressure on our limited health facilities.”

Another N$1.3 million is targeted at contributing to the National Disaster Fund to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

“This targeted pledge to the National Disaster Fund: COVID-19 is geared towards the payment of allowances to temporarily recruited medical professionals, such as recently graduated medical students and nurses who might be recalled by the government to assist.

“There is no doubt that Namibia faces an uncertain future as the threat of COVID-19 impacts our communities and poses a significant risk to the domestic economy. As a company that cares for the communities who so much depend on us, Old Mutual will continue to do everything possible to provide the much-needed support.”